They couldn’t all crowd into the little dressing area, but they tried. Fahd was grinning from ear to ear. Andy was drained, his sweater off and his face still dripping with sweat. Sam was sitting with her helmet off and head stuck down between the tops of her shin pads, sucking for air. She looked pale and in pain.

Travis felt a finger poke in his back. He turned around quickly. It was Lars. “Data wants to see you,” he said.

Travis backed out of the dressing room, the door muffing the sound of the happy players and their fans as it closed.

Data was sitting a little way down the corridor. He had his notepad on his knee, and looked extremely worried.

“What’s up?” Travis asked.

“The snow globe that came out of that bag Nish carried back to the motel,” Data said. “What became of it?”

Travis thought about it for a moment. “We put it in one of the drawers,” he said. “Lars was going to exchange it, I think.”

“Did he?”

Travis shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I think it’s still there.”

The worry lines on Data’s face deepened. “I think we’d better go back to the motel as quickly as possible,” he said.

Data explained on the way back. He had discovered that the confusion over Nish’s bag wasn’t an isolated incident. The Arrowhead Rangers’ equipment man, Mr. Williamson, had also found a bag that didn’t belong with his team’s equipment. An extra bag, and a number on it that didn’t connect to any of the Arrowhead players. A bag number 17, but no 17 on the team.

It seemed too much of a coincidence. Nish had picked up a bag intended for the Portland Panthers, and they had turned out not to have a number 44 in their lineup.

Data had borrowed a master team roster from Mr. Dillinger. It listed all the teams, all the players, and all the numbers. He couldn’t find any other equipment managers, but he had been able to do a visual check of several of the other teams, counting their bags stacked up inside the locked storage areas. He was convinced several of the teams had one more bag than players on their roster. He hadn’t been able to check if in each case there was a number that didn’t fit on the team, but he had seen enough to become suspicious.

“Maybe they just threw in an extra bag for each team,” suggested Nish. “A bag for the coach, or equipment manager–and extra equipment, in case somebody forgot something.”

Data wasn’t convinced. “Don’t you think if that was the case they would have told the equipment managers?”

“What then?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know,” Data said. “But I want to check out that snow globe Nish gave Lars.”

“It’s no good,” Nish said, shaking his head. “We should have taken it back.”

“That’s just what I’m worried about,” said Data.

They had almost reached the motel when Sam, who’d been hanging back with yet another of her cigarettes, caught up to the rest of the Owls and walked quickly, breathing hard, right through the centre of the gang.

Travis thought it was rude, and quite unlike Sam.

As she pushed through, her head held straight ahead, she whispered quickly out of the corner of her mouth: “Don’t anybody turn! There are three men following us!”

“Impossible,” said Nish, threatening to turn.

“Don’t look!” Sam hissed again, her whisper almost becoming a shout. “One’s the guy Travis said was checking bags. The buzz-cut guy with the earring.”

Travis had to fight not to turn. He kept facing straight ahead, and the Owls, as a group, picked up the pace.

As they rounded a corner Travis allowed himself the quickest, tiniest peak back. He saw the man in the tinted glasses. His windbreaker was gone now–it was warm, the sun still out–and he was wearing a dark golf shirt. And two other men, both bulky, both in black T-shirts that showed off their beefy arms, were moving with him.

“What do we do?” asked Fahd.

“We get to the motel and find Muck,” said Data. He had his wheelchair going full speed. Nish was pushing from behind, almost running.

“What do they want?” Sarah asked him.

“I think I know.”

They made it to the motel, and once inside looked out through the glass door. The men had vanished.

“They weren’t after us at all,” Nish sighed in relief.

“Think again,” advised Andy. “Look at the back of the parking lot.”

The men were walking casually across the parking area, pretending to be moving towards their vehicle, but in fact they were turning to watch the kids and slipping in among the cars for cover.

“Get me to your room as fast as you can,” Data ordered Nish.

“Somebody track down Muck or Mr. Dillinger,” Travis called back. He was already fishing out his key to the room he shared with Nish and Lars.

Fahd and Andy split off to find the coach and the equipment manager. The motel seemed empty. It was such a fine day, everybody was probably out exploring. Travis had a sudden wish it was still raining, and that everyone was still in the motel. It was warm, but he shivered suddenly, worried that Muck and Mr. Dillinger wouldn’t be around to help if the three men came after them.

But why? he wondered. Why would they come after a bunch of kids? What did they think they had?

Once Nish had pushed him into the room, Data began taking charge.

“The snow globe,” he said. “Where is it?”

“It’s in the bottom drawer,” said Lars.

“It’s no good,” protested Nish. “It’s broken, remember?”

“I’m not so sure,” said Data.

Lars removed the box and opened it for the second time. The globe was still there. It hadn’t been touched. The “snow” was still crystallized, meaning it was still broken. Travis couldn’t see what the point was.

Data had Lars bring the globe to him. He set it in his lap and, with his good hand, began rolling it back and forth.

“See?” said Nish. “It’s busted.”

“I don’t think so,” said Data.

“What is it then?” Nish asked sarcastically. “Fixed?”

Data looked up at them all, his eyes filled with the same worry Travis had noted before. “It’s cocaine.”

“Cocaine?” Sarah and Sam said at once.

“Drugs?” Travis said.

“I think so,” said Data. “We’re going to have to call the police to be certain.”

“I’m not so sure we’ve time,” said Sam. She was looking out the window. “Those three guys are coming in the back way.”

Travis looked out just in time to catch the third of the big-muscled men dip in the back entrance.

“What if they’re coming after this?” Travis asked.

“If they get it,” said Data, “there goes the evidence. It would just be our word against theirs.”

“Like they’re going to believe us!” said Nish.

Andy burst into the room, scaring them all. He seemed out of breath, frightened himself.

“Muck and Mr. Dillinger are out,” he said. “There’s nobody here.”

“We better call the police,” said Sarah.

“We better hide this,” said Lars, picking up the snow globe.

“Where?” asked Nish. His voice cracked with fear.

“I don’t know,” said Lars. “Let’s get it out of here. The window, maybe–those three thugs are inside the building.”

Travis hurried into action. He was captain, after all. He was supposed to lead in moments of crisis. “I’ll take it,” he volunteered.

“I’m comin’ with you!” Nish said at once.

“I’ll come, too,” said Sam.

Travis was already half out the window. Nish followed, then Sam.

Lars leaned out with the snow globe and passed it into Travis’s outstretched hands.

He took it carefully, afraid of dropping it and breaking it. He cradled it like a baby against his chest.

“Someone better be calling the police!” Sam called up.

“Sarah’s already on the phone!” Lars shouted down. “Just get it out of here until they get here!”